Making urban planning more engaging

TED@UPS asks: What if cities were built on the principle of human happiness?

When urban planners look to the future, where should their focus be? Should they build cities based on convenience? Environmental sustainability? Or ease of movement? Thomas Madrecki thinks the most important place to start is with something a bit less tangible—human happiness.

If we want to make better communities, we need communities to tell us what’s working and what’s not.

During his career, Tom has been involved in urban planning, transportation, and sustainability issues. In that time, he’s realized that for towns and cities to truly address people’s wants and needs, they must learn how to reach out to their citizens and make public participation in the planning process a top priority.

In his TED@UPS talk, Tom asserts that people want to feel empowered and connected—to feel like they are playing a role in the world around them. Public participation is essential to making people feel happier in the place they call home.

Tom shares two examples of public outreach strategies—one for an entire state, the other for a small Native American reservation—that provide unique approaches to successful community planning.